Kasaragod: A court here found a man guilty of sexually assaulting his 13-year-old stepdaughter within eight months after starting the trial.
A Kasaragod additional sessions court (I) said the prosecution could prove that Abdul Kareem (34) had raped the youngster after threatening to kill her mother with a knife.
The sentence will be pronounced on Saturday.
Kareem is a resident of Pachampally at Panchathotty in Uppala in Kasaragod district.
The shocking incident took place at the house of the victim around 4 am on April 2 this year. A Class 9 student, the girl also suffered cuts on her left hand when the accused brandished the knife. The child later gave a statement that she had been abused earlier also.
The accused had committed crimes under Sections 376 (F), 506 (2) and 324 of the IPC, the court said.
The Supreme Court has issued a directive to complete the trial in cases in which the victims are minors within one year. The Kasaragod court’s verdict has been announced in less than eight months. Legal experts say this is the fastest trial related to harassment of minors in Kerala after the apex court order.
